It is known in the art relating to urinary catheterization to perform such catheterization to drain a patient's bladder and to obtain most recent urine samples for laboratory analysis.
Known urine drainage systems often include a urinary catheter connected to a collection/drainage device. A catheter may be maintained in or on the patient for days or weeks. Samples are typically taken from the collection device for laboratory analysis. It has long been a problem that the urine samples from the collection device are not the most recently produced urine. As a result, urine contained in the collection device has been known to become contaminated. This contaminated urine may produce unreliable laboratory analysis and unreliable biological test results.
In some known drainage systems, it is common to try to extract a sample with a syringe and an exposed hypodermic needle inserted through the wall of the drainage tubing into pooled urine in the tubing between the collection device and the urological access device; or by piercing a rubber port on the bag itself; or by opening the collection device and sucking out a sample into a syringe; or by draining some urine out of the bag into a lab sampling tube; or with infants, squeezing some urine out of a diaper into a cup and then transferring from the cup into a syringe or lab sampling tube. In addition to these various, cumbersome methods further potentially contaminating the urine itself, the nurse is exposed to both needlesticks and patient urine, and the patient might also be exposed to needlesticks.
In some other known drainage systems, it is common to exchange the collection device for a sampling device when a urine sample is desired.
In these systems, this exchange involves interrupting the urine flow to the collection device, draining the collection device, removing the collection device from its communication with the catheter, connecting the sampling device in communication with the catheter, and establishing urine flow to the sampling device. During such exchange, the sampling device is exposed to the environment and subject to contamination.
After a urine sample is collected, in like fashion, the collection device must be exchanged for the sampling device. In addition to the exchange being a complicated procedure, the exchange of the collection device typically results in the spillage of urine and its contact with the patient or health care provider.